New Criteria for a Holy Dip in the Rivers!

NEW DELHI: A holy dip in a river will soon make pilgrims feel fresh as the Union Environment Ministry is coming up with stringent standards for bathing water quality in water bodies. It has specified 14 water quality criteria for the same.

The draft primary water quality criteria for bathing waters is important as untreated sewage flows into rivers and this has led to deterioration of water quality. Earlier standards included only seven criteria.

“In a water body, water is subjected to several types of uses. Depending on the types of uses and activities, water quality criteria have been specified to determine its suitability for a particular purpose. Water quality requirements have been specified for different uses in terms of primary water quality criteria,” said a ministry official. The revised criteria include total coliform, pH value, dissolved oxygen, colour, odour, floating matter, chemical oxygen, sludge deposits, suspended solids, floating materials like oil, grease and aquatic life.

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